The ‘12 days of Christmas’ carol would not be the same without its Turtle Doves and neither would the British countryside. We almost lost them, but the tide is turning for these iconic birds. This community focused project is bringing Turtle Doves back from the brink and now needs support to accelerate its efforts at a critical juncture. Your donation could enable vital on the ground conservation work, like that of amazing volunteer father and son team James and Reece featured in the video below.
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The number of Turtle Doves in the UK plummeted by 99% between the late 1960s and 2021 and is mirrored elsewhere across Europe. This has been caused by the loss of important breeding habitat here: access to wildflower seeds on farms, areas of thick scrub to nest and water to drink. In addition, up to half were shot every autumn as they migrated south to spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. However, an end to unsustainable hunting has seen numbers start to recover in western Europe.
Operation Turtle Dove partners (including the RSPB), are working with land managers and volunteers to provide the perfect food and habitat for the birds to enable more of their chicks to survive and thrive. Our skilled advisers work hand-in-hand with farmers and others to create ideal conditions. The time to act is now! We are winning the battle, know that the solutions work and there are glimmers of hope with population increases in places. We now need to expand the project’s reach.
